Fergus awarded NSF grant for work with clean fuel cells

Jeffrey Fergus, associate professor in materials engineering, recently received
an individual investigator grant from the division of materials research for the
National Science Foundation. His project, 'The Effect of Hydrogen and Water on
the Oxidation of Chromia-Forming Alloys,' investigates metallic interconnect materials
for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), such as those used in power plants and auxillary
power units. This is a three year grant totaling approximately $225,000.

Fergus' research stems from recent interest in the development of clean, efficient
fuel cells. To date, work in this area has focused primarily on polymer electrolyte
membrane (PEM) fuel cells. However these cells are intolerant of typical impurities,
such as carbon monoxide, commonly found in hydrogen fuel.

In contrast, SOFCs work at higher temperatures, making them more tolerant to
impurities. The higher operating temperature, however, can also cause materials
degradation, the understanding of which is the focus of Fergus' work. One promising
application of durable, fuel-tolerant SOFCs is to provide auxiliary power to the
sleeper cabin in trucks. Such power systems would more cleanly and efficiently
use available diesel fuel and eliminate the need for running the diesel engine
overnight.

"It is certainly a great honor to receive an award from Division of Materials
Research of NSF," says Fergus. "I look forward to contributing to the development
of cleaner, more efficient energy sources."